Josh Hyde will skipper the Stingers for the match at No.1 Oval on October 18 for the first round of a new competition which replaces the SCG Country Cup.

His strong captaincy in the inter district competition last year, which Hastings won, made Hyde a natural choice to lead the Stingers in the Bash, which is a twenty20 format.

Hyde will be dangerous at Tamworth. His Macquarie Hotel partnership with Michael Pelley turned last season's grand final against Wauchope RSL on his head.

His medium pacers could be a handful, given the right wicket.

Hyde's Hastings colleagues give the Stingers plenty of firepower with bat and ball.

Fiery Brendan Badenoch will open the bowling. Badenoch claimed 14 of the 20 wickets in the decider last season, nine of them in the first innings.

The short format suits another Macquarie player in Chris Cole down to the ground. He can be enormous with the bat, and handy with some leg spinners in the middle order. Completing the Hastings contingent is Port City Leagues batsman Jesse Schmidt.

He will bolster the Stingers at the top of the order.

Hyde looked forward to what the new competition could do for cricket in the Hastings.

"It's pretty much what cricket around here might need," he said.

"They're trying to do the right thing."

The semi finals and final of the competition are set down for the hallowed turf of the Sydney Cricket Ground.

"Getting a chance to play at the SCG when you're a country cricketer has got to be good," Hyde said.

Hyde had originally hoped for more Port locals in the team.

"I'm disappointed to only have four in there," he said.

Team manager Matt Day expects a tough contest from the host team.

Day thinks the shorter format will bring his team into the match though.

"The beauty of this format is that it evens it out a bit more, but they will have some pretty good cricketers to choose from," he said.